Below is my plan for the draft and the resulting 53 man roster.  I know I'm going to get some people going "BAP, BAP, BAP".  I would remind you that this is a plan and not written in stone.  If value isn't there, then you adjust your plan.  I do think the BAP things gets over done though.  I know Vic and O-Zone want you think that your only two choices at every draft pick is a future pro-bowler or a bust, but that's not reality.  The projected value difference between 110th and 111th best player is usually extremely minimal if anything.  Outside of the first round or two, there are usually going to be several players with virtually the same scouting ratings, and you take the one that fits the need.  You also have the option to move down if one of your needs just isn't there.  That being said, here's my plan.

 

1st Round:  Quarterback - I know O-zone man is trying to do everything to lower expectations, but you can't win in this league without a quarterback.  I know there is no Andrew Luck, but there rarely is.  Even if Luck was in this draft, he would go to Houston and not us.  You got to find your quarterback.  I'm not part of the Henne love fest.  He's a backup quality NFL quarterback.  I also think waiting until the second round is extremely risky.  Every quarterback starved team will have had to pass on our guy twice and Cleveland will have passed three times.  We shouldn't pin our future to the quarterback that other teams don't want.  Waiting until next year is also a bad idea.  First, you set this team back a year since quarterbacks take at least a year to develop.  Second, with our free agents and hopefully a good draft, I see us winning more games next year.  That means a worse draft position which could easily be outside of the top 10.  What's the chance the next Luck falls to us there?  The reality is that this is our best chance to get a good quarterback.  Let's not pass it up.

 

2nd Round:  Wide Receiver - I'm working on the assumption that Blackmon is not coming back.  Even if he does, there's a great chance he relapses.  Shorts is good, but more of a number two type receiver.  We need a number one receiver on this team to stretch the field.

 

3rd Round:  Center - We failed to get Mack and I have little confidence in Brewster.  We desperately need a starting center.  The good news is that interior offense linemen often fall in the draft.  Meester was a very late second rounder.  There's a great chance we can still find a quality starting center in the early 3rd round.

 

4th Round A:  Guard - Similar to above.  We desperately need a guard, but fortunately, they often fall in the draft.  Guards may drop even slightly more than centers.  Nwaneri was a fifth rounder.  Johnathan Wade (a starter from our 14-2 team) was also a fifth rounder.  Admittedly, Rackley was a third rounder too, but he was also a Gene Smith pick.

 

4th Round B:  Quarterback - Initially a third round quarterback, but we can hope he's good enough to pass Henne in a year or two.  Even if not, it's an important position and many think it is a good draft for quarterbacks.  I don't like waiting too much later in the draft as quarterback is a high demand position and aren't likely to last until the late rounds.

 

5th Round A:  Linebacker - I would have kept Russell Allen for depth.  As it stands, we have virtually no quality depth at this position.  I would love to upgrade the starters (other than Poz) too, but we had too many other priorities in the early rounds and aren't likely to find a starter in the late rounds.

 

5th Round B:  Running Back -   Todman and Robinson only averaged 3.4 and 3.3 yards per carry respectively last year.  Robinson also had fumbling problems.  I would like another option at backup running back. 

 

5th Round C:  Tight End - Need depth at this position.

 

6th Round A:  Linebacker - Still need more depth.

 

6th Round B:  Offensive Tackle - Could use backup tackle depth in addition to Bradfield.

 

7th Round:  Linebacker - Despite already taking two, this team still needs more depth at this position.  I'd also note that the depth chart at most other positions is actually pretty good at this point in the draft.  This is one of the few positions where I think a 7th rounder would have a good chance of making the team.

 

 

Below is the 53 man roster with projected starters (by mid-season) in bold:

 

Quarterback

1st Rounder

Henne

4th Rounder

 

Wide Receiver

2nd Rounder

Shorts

Sanders

Brown

Doss

 

Running Back

Gerhart

Todman

5th Rounder

Robinson

 

Tight End

Lewis

Harbor

5th Rounder

 

Offensive Tackle

Joeckel

Paztor

Bradfield

6th Rounder

 

Center

3rd Rounder

Brewster

 

Guard

Beadles

4th Rounder

Rackley

 

Fullback

Ta'ufo'ou

 

Defensive End

Clemons

Bryant

Babin

Alualu (Could be a backup at defensive tackle too if there's an injury)

Branch

Davis (Probably a game day inactive, but like his potential as a possible developmental project or depth if injuries occur)

 

Defensive Tackle

Marks

Miller

Hood

 

Linebacker

Posluzny

Watson

Hayes

Reynolds

5th Rounder

6th Rounder

7th Rounder

 

Cornerback

Ball

Gratz

Blackmon

McCray

Harris

 

Safety

Cyprien

Evans

Guy

Prosninski

 

Kicker

Scobee

 

Punter

Anger

 

Long Snapper

Tinker

 

 

I welcome your questions or comments.

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